30/11/18 - Year 10 History Mark the Centenary of Voting Rights for Women

Year 10 History students attended an SEP event with their friends from St Paul's High School, Bessbrook to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. Together they gained a greater understanding of Ireland's Suffrage Movement from historian, Dr Myrtle Hill, Queen's University who brought the suffragette campaign to life. Award-winning children's author, Sheena Wilkinson of 'Star by Star' also sparked great interest through an in-depth discussion of her new novel based around one young woman's journey to win the vote!

Our thanks go to Head of History, Mrs Reid who accompanied our pupils on this trip.

26/11/18 – Positive Inspection Report for Newtownhamilton High

The Governors, staff, pupils and parents of Newtownhamilton High School are celebrating following the publication of a very positive inspection report after a visit from the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) in October 2018.

The inspection proceeded despite action short of strike from the teaching staff in relation to an on-going pay dispute. However, as the senior leadership team co-operated, evaluations were based on the evidence that was made available at the time of the inspection which identified the following key conclusions:

The responses from the pupil questionnaire were extremely positive with pupils reporting that they were happy and felt safe in school.

The questionnaires completed by non-teaching staff and parents were also very positive with the latter expressing appreciation for their children’s enjoyment of school within a caring and supportive learning environment.

The pupils are courteous and welcoming to visitors with a strong sense of pride for their school and community while also recognising the importance and advantage of working with others through Shared Education.

The outcomes for pupils in public examinations are a significant strength of the school with results for English and Mathematics significantly above the Northern Ireland average.

The curriculum provided is matched well to the pupils’ interests, abilities and career aspirations with pupils reporting that they were enthusiastic about their learning.

The leadership (including the Board of Governors) has a clear vision for the school and local community.

Reflecting on the report, Principal Neil Megaw stated “I am delighted with the contents of this document which provides further evidence that Newtownhamilton High School is very effective in meeting the needs of the community which we serve. While this report contains many positive comments, the most pleasing conclusion is that our pupils reported that they are happy and feel safe in school. I therefore thank all pupils, parents, staff and Governors for their contributions over recent years which has led to this positive outcome”.

A full copy of the report is available to download from the ETI website.

26/11/18 - What an Emotional Journey

Year 10 pupils and GCSE English and English Literature pupils, travelled with Mrs Reid and Mrs Robinson to Dunnganon Omniplex to watch ‘Journey’s End’. This film was screened by Film Festival 2018. This festival celebrates films and their educational value by screening adaptations of classic literary texts. The war film ‘Journey’s End’ is an adaptation of R.C. Sheriff’s play of the same title. The History and English Department collaborate and teach a unit of work on the theme of war and GCSE pupils study conflict poetry, so this was the perfect opportunity for pupils to step back in time and experience the harrowing history of the First World War. The sheer horror of this war was captured in sobering detail in this powerfully emotive film.

21/11/18 - Mrs Alexander’s Jenny Bristow Experience

As part of her continued professional development, our Home Economics teacher Mrs Alexander recently travelled to Cullybackey for Jenny Bristow’s Cookery School. The morning opened with a warm welcome into Jenny’s home with canapes and seasonal treats served. The day then continued in the Cookery School, which was just as Mrs Alexander remembered from the cookery programmes. Jenny made a variety of starters, main meals and desserts around the theme of getting ready for Christmas with her usual flair and creativity, with the best bit reserved for the end of the day as Mrs Alexander dined in style consuming this fantastic array of culinary delights. A fantastic experience which Mrs Alexander has since been sharing with her pupils.

21/11/18 – Newtownhamilton District LOL No. 9 Thanks

Newtownhamilton High School wish to thank Newtownhamilton District LOL No. 9 for covering the cost of transport for our recent Year 10 History trip to the Museum of Orange Heritage's exhibition on Service and Sacrifice. It is great to see community organisations supporting their local school.

16/11/18 – Year 8 Bible Presentation

Pictured are the Year 8 pupils having received their New Testament Bibles from Gideons Timothy Wilson and Richard Alexander.

16/11/18 - GCSE Home Economics Practicals

Pictured below are a few images of fine cuisine produced by Year 12 Group 1 pupils GCSE Home Economics Practicals.

Well done folks - the food looks superb!

12/11/18 – Adverse Weather Conditions & Emergency School Closures

Now that we have entered the winter months, schools are required by DENI to remind parents and pupils about the procedures for emergency school closures due to adverse weather conditions.

Deciding to close a school is not an easy decision for a Principal as it causes disruption to many individuals. However, the health and safety of all school stakeholders must be the key factor when making this difficult decision.

In order to find out if Newtownhamilton High School is closed, parents can tune into BBC Radio Ulster, visit the BBC NI website, or check for updates on our website and Facebook page. Parents will hopefully receive a text from our school messaging service. The aim is to make an early decision (usually before 7.30am) if possible.

09/11/18 - Year 10 History visit the Museum of Orange Heritage

As part of the centenary to mark the end of World War One our Year 10 pupils visited the Museum of Orange Heritage's exhibition on Service and Sacrifice. They reflected on the huge sacrifices made during the Great War and led their own special and dignified Service of Remembrance. David Herron's poignant and heartfelt rendition of 'Abide with Me' on the fiddle brought the service to an end.

It proved to be a very special day as Lucy Gray was delighted to discover that her great grandfather's personal WWI story was on display. Herbert Gray was enlisted in the 9th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers and was injured three times during the Great War, including at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Afterwards, Private Gray maintained that his life was spared by the New Testament which he carried in his top pocket as it had deflected a bullet.

The pupils also enjoyed examining the different artefacts that survived the battlefields of WWI.

Our thanks go to Mrs Reid, Miss Lynn Anderson and Mrs Nelson who accompanied the pupils on their trip.

09/11/18 – Prize Night 2018

The local and wider community once again came out in force last night (Thursday 8 November) to celebrate the success of the 2017/18 school year at Newtownhamilton High. A packed assembly hall was in attendance as Chairman of the Board of Governors Mr Ivan Bingham welcomed guest speaker Rev Robert McClure, (recently installed minister of 2nd Newtownhamilton and Freeduff congregations) who reflected on his life journey from a pupil to becoming a farmer before entering the ministry. Rev McClure stressed the importance of having a good work ethic, skills and qualifications and urged pupils to take advantage of the many opportunities that were available at Newtownhamilton High School.

Principal Neil Megaw publicly announced that “82% of pupils this year achieved 5 GCSE grades at A*-C while an impressive 69% achieved 5 GCSE grades at A*-C when the all-important GCSE English and GCSE Maths grades are included”. Mr Megaw continued by stating that “these are statistics that any non-selective school in Northern Ireland would be proud of”.

The recipient for the G Mullan Cup for Academic Achievement was presented to Nicole Frazer for achieving an outstanding 5 A* grades and 5 A grades while Matthew Jenkins was awarded the McNiece Cup for the Best All Round Pupil on the Vocational Enhancement Programme.

Special mention must also go to the choir and our fiddle players (James Curry, David Herron & Daniel Porter) for their musical performances and also to the joint effort of Canteen Staff and School Association Members in providing a fantastic supper, which went down well with all in attendance.

To conclude, it was an excellent evening which was very fitting to acknowledge the fantastic achievements of the class of 2018.